


Trust I Seek And I Find In You

by Bakeneko



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternative Perspective, F/M, Human!Castiel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-01-06 12:15:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18388244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bakeneko/pseuds/Bakeneko
Summary: After the angels' falling from Heaven as the result of Metatron's spell, Castiel finds himself on Earth without his grace, far away from his friends and not ready to the life as a human being. Dean Winchester, understanding how hard it will be for Castiel to stay alive while the enraged angels are after him, and to adjust to his new essence, realises that Cas needs someone who can help with both.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Trust I seek and I find in you](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/470225) by Sylverine. 



> This is my first attemt of translating a fic into English after writing it in Russian! O_O
> 
> And now I have a commission art made by the awesome artist LadyMintLeaf on deviantart.com. Jay: https://www.deviantart.com/ladymintleaf/art/Commission-Joyce-Ashford-800766788

\- Get your ass to the bunker, - said Dean with anxious voice, listening to the rising noise around and feeling the hospital walls shake where he had stuck with dying Sam and that strange angel Ezekiel who had volunteered to help. The ominous sounds around him unambiguously implied angels’ forthcoming, and there was nothing good to expect from it. Though Dean clearly understood the risk of revealing his location to the irate celestial army several minutes ago. – Hide, Cas!

\- Dean! – Castiel’s voice coming from the phone wavered of concern for the two brothers who had become closer to him than his own family during just a few years spent with them. He cherished the Winchesters and didn’t need his own brothers and sisters who started a hunt for him taking into account the latest events. The angel couldn’t think about himself while these two were in danger, and the danger was really serious, considering the sounds coming from the payphone receiver. But Cas had no wings to take off and appear near them, stand side by side with the Winchesters and fight back anymore. Cursing himself for the hundredth time for the mistake he had made trusting that sweet-talker fraud Metatron, he glanced at the angel Hael, who was wandering nearby, confused.

\- Dean… - Cas felt another sting of despair.

\- Cas, I need you alive, got it? Be careful! – his voice rose to a scream, either because of the mixture of anxiety and rage or because he was trying to outvoice the noise and thunder deafening him. – Call Garth if you need help! Though call him anyway, dammit! Listen to the number…

Cas hardly could hear the said numbers and repeated them in his mind like a tongue twister. After that Dean’s voice at the other end broke and went silent. Looking furtively at Hael, Cas grabbed another quarter from his pocket…

***

Joyce Ashford was swiftly driving her hardly new blue land-rover down the I-76 highway to the west of Akron, Colorado. A headwind from an open window ruffles her short dark hair turning it into a shaggy cloud, and the hunter sang along to the song coming from the audio. Sunglasses were hiding the girl’s eyes and a purple bruise engorging on the left side of her face with high-set cheekbones. Having successfully defeated a vampire nest settled in the town, the girl was coming back home to Trinidad, a small town in the south of the state. Actually it was hard to call a dilapidated uptown house a home. All the hunter’s belongings could be thrown in one duffel bag to leave this wreck behind without a single sign of sorrow.

There was a couple of simple cellphones on the passenger seat, as well as a ripped paper bag with a piece of a leftover sandwich waiting to join the half of it buried in the hungry hunter’s stomach. Without looking, Joyce extended her hand to the tormented piece of food and was already going to grab it with her scratched fingers, slightly wincing with the pain in her bandaged wrist bitten by a vampire, when one of her phone broke out with a piercing tune. Snorting disappointedly, the hunter moved her hand and groped the shrieking and shrilling device. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a sign: “Garth F. VI calling”.

\- Hi, my brightest star, - said Joyce with a crooked grin, answering the call, her mouth watering.

\- Hey, sweetie, how are you? – the smile heard in the coordinator hunter was sincere as always, and Joyce felt a bit awkward for her sarcasm. Though the uneasiness gone quickly, turning into joyful warmth. Garth was able to win people’s trust easily, just being himself, a cute and genuine weirdo.

\- Everything is super, Garth, the hunt was A-plus. Just was going to call you, - Joyce rubbed her nagging cheek-bone and dropped the phone on the dashboard after putting it on speaker. – Berty and I went with a few scrapes. They banged Berty’s head against a wall once or twice, but he’s got it made of wood anyway. So we’re okay, as it can be in our case. Four bloodsuckers are resting in peace.

\- I never doubt in you! It’s hard not to lose one’s head over you, Jay! – the same smile in his voice.

\- Yeah. I got it, you sweet-talker! Fire away. Calling me Jay means you’ve got a handful of Egyptian plagues for me, - the girl’s tone changed to a more serious one. – What’s up?

\- Remember Dean and Sam Winchesters? Bobby Singer’s friends, he often told about them?

\- Sure, how can I forget? Apocalypse stuff, demons, angels… I wouldn’t believe a word if anyone else told me about that! So what are you getting at? – Curiosity started to come over Joyce in spite of her tiredness and the desire to get home quickly.

\- So, well, a good friend of theirs is in need for help. He’s in Longmont, and I see you the closest one to him. He’s a rather a nice guy, you’ll see.

\- Soooo… - Joyce breathed out, propping her sunglasses – There’s a little “but” going to follow, right?

\- Not really a “but”, Jay. Just… he’s an angel. Whoa, wait, I can hear you frowning! I assure you, he’s cool!

\- Dammit, Garth. What kind of trouble are you getting me in? – mouthed Jay with a sigh, feeling she was about to agree, though not anxious about it. – Tell me what kind of crap awaits me. – The hunter stuffed her mouth with the rest of the sandwich forcefully, firmly grabbed the wheel of her car and hit the gas.

***

Castiel felt uneasy. After all, he had promised Hael, a cute angel using a young blue-eyed girl as a vessel, who fell from Heaven with the other angel, to go on a trip with her so as she could see the Grand Canyon, her own creation made when she was on Earth many thousands years ago. Strangely enough, she wasn’t angry with him, just confused and scared. The girl was seeking for support from someone who was actually, as she knew together with the rest of the angels, the cause of their fall in general. He was grateful to his sister for not judging him, for not trying to kill him which could be expected from all the angels, for listening to him carefully while he was telling her she was free at the moment, and the life on Earth was not at all frightening and even beautiful if she didn’t search for instructions but made decisions of her own. If only it was possible to forget that she wasn’t asking for freedom of that kind, that she had lost her wings and home, and by then she didn’t have any idea what she was, because could an angel not have any wings?

Cas could’t forget. He told calming and encouraging words to Hael but hardly believed them himself. It’s one thing when you chose your way by yourself for the sake of what you consider a right thing and commit yourself to, and you’re ready to abandon everything preventing you from going along that thorny way. And it’s quite another thing when nobody asked you if you need all that’s ahead of you? And you’re just thrown into a boiling cauldron of pain, fear and uncertainty without an explanation if this was your fault of if there’s anyone fault at all.

But there was Dean, the righteous man saved by Castiel from Hell itself, a friend, even more than a friend, an earthly human who gave him the way of free will which Castiel was unaware of duting the many thousands of his existence. And his brother Sam who proved that a person is defined not by their birth or destiny but by the goals they choose and the thing they do to achieve them. Two brothers devoted to each other until they die and even after, ready for incredible deeds for each other even without realizing the fortitude needed to survive at least for a day where they broke through without a shadow of doubt that it could be otherwise. These people, fragile and affected by their passions, who showed him the meaning of being free and making his own choice, leave behind his blind faith in the upper guidance and predetermination of fate and become the master of his life, even when it took a lot of what he was used to since the dawn of time. The ones who he swore allegiance to, risking everything which made the essence of his life before. The ones who wouldn’t betray and leave him despite your mistakes, who believed in your good intentions. His family.

And now Sam was dying, the brothers were facing an unknown danger, and Castiel was powerless. Yes, he was in desperate, having lost his grace and thrown down to Earth without his regular abilities, but he tried to bury his despair in the depth of his mind, trying to help this frightened girl with her blue eyes wide open. Grinning bitterly, Cas took a thought for a second if the free will of his was that good if it required letting somebody down either way. But he immediately cut off his weakness and approached Hael, pulling himself together.

\- My friend… he needs my help. It’s better if I go alone.

\- But… I need help! – she cried resentfully.

\- You can do this, Hael. This is your chance to help people, to help yourself. I’m sorry.

Looking down, Castiel turned around, felling a hard lump in his throat, and walked away slowly.

***

Joyce drove up to the gray single-storey Longs Peak service station, where, as Garth told, Castiel would be waiting for her. Having her sunglasses taken off and left on the seat, she shuffled her black leather jacket on, got out of the car and looked around. At the parking, besides her land-rover, there were only a silvery beat-around Crysler and a read-and-white truck with a blond girl wearing a cowboy hat painted on a cab door. There were no people at all. Fixing her hair falling on her face because of the wind, Joyce entered the little store adjacent to the service station.

A bored shop assistant, more a teenager than an adult, was trying to tear off a thread sticking out of his uniform vest. When the doorbell rang softly, the guy started and tried to look business-like and friendly at the same time.

\- Good morning, Miss! How can I help you?

\- The same to you, - Joyce glanced at the boy’s badge, – Jonathan. I hope you can. I was going to meet my friend but I’m not seeing him here. You know, dark hair, beige trenchcoat. Have you seen him?

\- Yes, yes, there was one! He was chatting with a cute chick about an hour ago. But I was busy with a customer and he had gone somewhere. I didn’t see where.

\- Hmm… Well, dammit! – Joyce frowned in concern. – Okay, thanks anyway.

\- Wait, Miss! Buy something! – The guy looked aside and added in a quiet voice: - The owner yells at me if I sell little.

Joyce chuckled. What a cunning wretch! Though she had no idea when she would have an opportunity to eat the next time.

\- Alright, let it be. Give me that chocolate and a bottle of water.

\- Yes, sure, Miss! – he solemnly rang her up, took a banknote from the girl’s hand and started counting the change. – By the way, ask about your friend in the nearby diner, it’s nextdoor. Oh, wait, take the change!

\- Thanks, Jonathan, keep it, - replied Joyce quickly on the move, waving at the boy.

\- Good luck! – he called after her and put the change in his pocket with a satisfied smile.

When she entered the diner, the only customer was a grizzly bear-sized huge biker-like man wearing a bandana and a menacing glare. He was heartily shoving a hamburger in his face, one of the three he had ordered, or one of the three left – it was hard to know for sure considering his size. Obviously it was the truck driver who was passing through and stopped to have a bite, get some gas and continue his way soon.

The hunter walked through the small sala and approached the truck driver’s table.

\- Hello, – she greeted him. – may I?..

\- Sure, have a seat, pretty one! – muttered the stout man in a low voice with his mouth full. – I just must warn you, I’m married! – He laughed from his guts and tapped his fat fingers at his wedding ring hardly noticeable among his massive scull-shaped rings.

\- Oh, I’m happy for you and your missus, - Joyce smiled, trying not to giggle and sitting down opposite the man. – I promise you to behave. I’m just looking for someone here. A guy in a beige trenchcoat, dark hair, blue eyes…

\- Yeah, that weirdo! – The truck driver exclaimed, biting at the next hamburger and washing it down with Diet Coke. – Right, I was already going to beat the shit out of him ‘cuz he was shoving in the oar while I was talking with my Sandy on the phone. I’m driving home from the road, missing my babe, and there’s this goofy getting in the way. But then I thought he might be sick in the head, and I don’t mess with psychos. And anyway, I mean, I’m a good guy. – The fatso burst laughing and took another sip of Coke.

\- Cool, and where did he go after that? – Joyce continued asking.

\- Why, is he your boyfriend? Did he do that to you? – He pointed to the bruise on her cheekbone with a nod, bending his thick eyebrows thundery. – Maybe I should’ve whopped him!

\- No-no, he didn’t do that! – The hunter hurried to assure the unexpected protector. – He’s just my friend, and to tell the truth he is a bit not himself. I really need to find him until he gets into trouble.

\- Well, there was a young baby doll, they were talking about something, I didn’t listen. And then she drove away to the West in her car, he was probably with her. At least I saw none of them later. I hope it helps.

\- Yes, I guess it does. What kind of car did she have?

\- A dark-green SUV.

\- Thank you very much! – Joyce smiled, stood up quickly and headed to the exit.

\- Hurry up, find that wanker! - The jolly fatso boomed after her. – And give him a four penny one so that he won’t run away again!

Having left the diner, Joyce got in her car hastily, started the squeaky old wreck from the second attempt and proceeded to the West after turning to the highway. “It’s high time for scrapping this bolt bucket,” – she thought impatiently, mashing the “go” pedal and trying to reach the maximum speed possible for the old cluncker which still agreed to do that in general. She couldn’t miss the green SUV in which Castiel supposedly had left for no obvious reason. However, she had to lessen speed because of the police sirens heard behind. Being detained for scorching wasn’t her plan, and the girl checked the rear-view mirror, summing up the situation. To her relief, the two cars blew past her, light-bars glowing, and Joyce put on speed after following them with her eyes, when the cops disappeared from the screen.

For some ten minutes there were only oncoming vehicles that she could see, none of them matching the description she had, then she passed a pickup truck with an elderly couple in it and a light-blue minivan. The hunter peered at the conifers hovering along the roadside out of the corner of her eye, trying not to miss something important concerning her mission. Having outdriven one or two more cars, she already started to worry if the SUV didn’t turn to the hardly appreciable side road she recently drove by, or if the appearance of the police isn’t caused by something that could have happened to the SUV and the people inside of it. Suddenly she noticed a man walking towards her down the roadside. Slowing down, Joyce made out his trenchcoat carelessly undone, his blue tie and hobble. When she almost pulled level with him, the man gave her a quick suspicious look, and the hunter caught a sight of the left side of his face and the collar of his shirt covered with blood. Making sure her assumption about the appearance of the police were about right, she stopped the car, got out and called to the strange guy who already walked several steps past her land-rover.

\- Hey, buddy, wait! – He stoped but was in no haste to face her, tension glimpsed in his figure. – Castiel? Is that you?

She made a couple of steps to him, and the man turned around carefully scanning her with his blue eyes.

\- Who are you? – The voice asking the question sounded alarmed and perhaps a little threatening, so Joyce felt a bit confused. However, to look at her one wouldn’t tell.

\- If you are Castiel, and it looks like you are, I’ll tell you who I am.

\- Yes, I am Castiel, - now he sounded somehow doomed.

\- Well, fine. I’m Joyce, a hunter, - the girl tried to make her words sound friendly, not knowing what to expect from her new acquaintance. – And you called Garth, so he sent me to pick you up and take you to Lebanon, Kansas, as well as not to let your enraged kinsmen finish you.  
Still not removing his gaze, Castiel tilted his head to a side and squinted.

\- Actually I shouldn’t trust anyone…

Joyce came closer impatiently, also looking right in Castiel’s eyes.

\- You may not trust me, I can understand that. Dean warned me that he asked you for it himself. That’s why he advised me to remind you how you and him met, for you two are the only ones alive who are aware of it. Well, his brother, too, but he knows that only from what Dean told him. You saved dean from the very Hell… Hmm, that’s jaw-dropping though, but okay. But at that time he had no idea who you were, why you saved him and how it happened. When you came to meet him in person, he stabbed you with a demon-killing knife, and you didn’t give a hoot about it because one can’t kill an angel with it. And you knocked out Bobby Singer who also was there, may he rest in peace, so that you could have a private chat. So, long story short, since then you’re together like salt and pepper, right?

Castiel’s features softened, and it seemed to Joyce his dry lips formed a faint smile.

\- Dean… Yes, that’s approximately how it was.

\- Well, excellent! – Joyce took him by his sleeve, carefully but decisively, and dragged him to the passenger door. – We should get the heck out of here before the cops come back. I don’t know if it’s because of you or not, but they blasted past like maniacs not long ago.

\- I hid from them behind the trees.

\- Good for you! But you look suspicious, so you clearly should stay out of their sight with your messed up face and blood-stained outfit.

\- I agree.

Castiel got in the car, wincing from the pain in his damaged knee, Joyce jumped in at the other side. The blue land-rover made a U-turn and took its way of the East.


	2. Chapter 2

\- Why did you leave the gas station? – Joyce broke the prolonged silence which Castiel obviously wasn’t going to break, distantly looking at the roadside trees through the side window. - We’ve arranged through Garth to meet there and you disappeared. What happened? 

Castiel lowered his gaze to the door handle and sighed softly.

\- I’m sorry… - and he stared at the hunter with his cerulean eyes which made her feel a little uncomfortable again.

“So take it easy, I’m watching the road,” – she thought, taking her look off his bloody face to the highway.

\- I had to… deal with a problem.

\- Does it have anything to do that girl with whom you rode off in a green SUV?

\- Yes, it does. And she’s not actually a girl, she’s an angel… she was.

\- She was? – Joyce glanced at her new acquaintance again. – Is she dead?

\- She is. I killed her. She turned out to be not so friendly as she seemed at once.

The hunter’s left eyebrow twitched perplexedly, but after a short embarrassment she nodded with understanding.

\- Well, I believe you had reasons for that. Did she threaten you?

\- You could say that. She was going to hand me over to the other angels when I refused to be her new vessel.

\- So, - Joyce slowed down the car to turn to a small side road she had driven past while following the vehicle of the angel killed by Castiel. – I understood practically nothing. I just know you’re an angel who lost his super powers and you’re almost like human now. But you’ll explain the details to me later, right? I mean, I’m your friend now, or at least… a kind of curator, – she grinned looking at Castiel who was watching the surroundings and the winding dusty track ahead.

\- Joyce, where are we going?

\- We should clean you up as much as it’s possible. Have you seen yourself?

Joyce reached her hand and lowered the sun visor with a little mirror on the reverse side of it in front of the passenger seat. Castiel took a look at the reflection of his exhausted face with deep cuts on his cheekbone.

\- I mean you’re but handsome, still your beaten face and the blood on your clothes are totally a gift for cops. We have things to take care about besides them, right, Castiel?

\- They’ve probably discovered the body and the broken vehicle… - his face acquired a confused and concerned look. – I hope I cause as little trouble for us as it’s possible. 

Castiel sounded not too confident. Joyce drove to a small meadow, stopped the car and shut down the engine. She put her hand on his shoulder in an encouraging way.

\- You’re a hunter’s friend, so I trust you. We’re gonna be alright, don’t worry. Well, here we stop for a break. 

The girl took a first aid kit and approached Castiel who had opened the door on his side and was sitting with his feet on the ground, staring in the space in front of him absently. She took some gauze and a small bottle of antiseptic from the first aid kit and began to remove blood from his left cheek, treating the cuts. Castiel endured the procedure without a complaint, with his eyes closed and his hands hanging down his knees. He slightly winced only a couple of times when Joyce touched his wounds. She noticed that the skin on Castiel’s left hand was scraped, and she took it carefully, turned his palm up and held it closer to her eyes.

\- Wow, nice rocks you’ve got here! – she muttered and took a little knife out of her jeans pocket.  
Castiel flinched and pulled his hand suspiciously. Not letting him go, Joyce followed his move not to hurt him and awkwardly nuzzled the top of his head. His hair smelled like rain… and a little like blood.

\- Oh! Sorry. You have gravel stuck in your palm, I just wanted to clean the wound. Don’t be scared. The wounds aren’t serious, though not too pretty.

She carefully ran a soothing hand through his dark hair, looking into his bright summer sky-coloured eyes widely open. Her fingers felt drying blood on the back of his head.

\- It’s okay, I’ll take care of you. Though it will hurt a bit.

Having Castiel’s wounds cleaned, Joyce put a bandage on his injured hand. Something had to be done with his blood-stained clothes. She went back to the trunk and took a wine-red sweatshirt out of her duffle bag. 

\- Here, take it. It’s mine, but I like oversize, so it must fit you. Well, practically…

She gave the sweatshirt to Castiel, he took it with his good hand and went to the car hood to change. While he was taking off his shabby beige trenchcoat, jacket, tie and shirt, Joyce wondered how many layers of clothes he had. She had a little peek at his muscular shoulders realizing that the sweatshirt would be a bit tight-fitting on him, and it really was. She used to have a good eye.

Castile took a thoughtful look at the pile of his clothes covered in blood stains, lying on the Land Rover hood pathetically.

\- I think we should burn it, - he told Joyce who came up closer.

\- That's a very wise decision.

\- Sam and Dean would do it, - said Castiel with a sad smile.

\- I would do the same! We can’t clean it here, and it’s dangerous to take it with us – the cops can stop us anytime… Whoa! Your knifie is bigger! – she exclaimed, trying to hide her fascination, cautiously looking at the blade that Castiel placed near his blue tie. A long silver blade with a narrow fuller, a small guard, a smooth metal hilt looking not too convenient. But if you take the blade in your hand, check the balance, you can feel how handy it is… She loved cold steel, but she considered it rude to touch the other’s weapons without a permission even if it belonged to friends, and she couldn’t decide to ask for one. She saw Castiel, the master of this sparkling miracle, was frustrated, so it would be better not to disturb him more.

\- Yes this is… an angel blade. Angels kill each other with it, - his face twitched nervously. – And demons, too.

\- I see. My respect, it’s a nice thing. I guess one can easily kill people with it, too, right? – Joyce widened her eyes dramatically. – Just keep it somewhere out of sight, okay? 

Castiel obediently hid the blade into the sweatshirt pocket which proved to be very useful. The hinter grabbed the pile of clothes he took off, put it on the ground near a big rock several feet from the car and brought a can of gasoline. 

Looking at the flame that flashed immediately, Castiel silently noted it could symbolize moving to the next stage of his long and no more angelic life. Over the years, after he saved Dean Winchester from Hell, these stages started replacing each other alarmingly fast which was exciting and frightening at the same time. Especially now when unfamiliar emotions and feelings began growing inside of him instead of his lost grace. They were more innate to humans than angels. Castiel still couldn’t distinguish them well, but at that moment they were like anguish and fear of the unknown.  
His new friend was sitting on the rock, also looking at the offhand fire and stiring the brightly burning cloth with a stick she found nearby. She took a pack of cigarettes out of her pocked and glanced back at Castiel.

\- Do you mind?

Castiel came closer and tried to get a better look at the pack with a tilt of his head. Joyce took one cigarette out and jokingly waved it in the air.

\- Cigarettes. I smoke sometimes. Won’t it disturb you?

\- Oh, I understand! – Castiel touched his forehead in a funny way. – No, I don’t mind.

The girl poked the fire with the stick, lit her cigarette with its smouldering end and dropped the stick on the ground in front of her her. She took an eager pull on her cigarette, exhaled wearily, and a cloud of smoke floated to the fur trees surrounding the meadow.

\- Have a seat, Cas. Is it okay if I call you so? – she tapped the rock with her hand as it was still enough free space.

\- Thank you. Yes, it’s okay. My friends call me that, - Castiel smiled and sat beside the hunter downwind from her, just in case. He didn't seem to like cigarette smoke much.

\- Great! My friends call me Jay.

\- How is that? Just a letter? – Cas wondered.

\- Sort of. I’m not a big fan of my name. My mom obviously loved literature more than me. Have you heard about “Ulisses”?

\- Erm… Sorry, I’m not sure. – Castiel smiled awkwardly, took the stick and and began stirring the fire, too.

\- Well, never mind, it’s not that important, - Jay comforted him. – So it burns out soon and we go.

Cas sighed reservedly.

\- Don’t get upset! – the girl gave him a friendly push with her shoulder. – We’ll buy a new gear, no problem. – She threw the cigarette butt in the burning rags.

\- Sure, it’s fine, it’s just clothes.

\- Good for you. So cheer up! – Jay winked at him, threw the stick away, stomped the smouldering ashes and covered it with soil, raking and flattening it with her coarse boots soles. – Get up, let’s make a human out of you.

Creaking on the cracks on the road surface, Jay’s Land Rover headed south.

\- Cas, you don’t mind if we stop at my digs, have some rest and then go to Lebanon, do you? – asked the girl with a glimpse of hope in her voice. – It’s a little detour. I’d love to get a little nap!.. I haven’t been sleeping for two days already. And you’d better recover from such an adventure, too. 

\- Yes, of course, - Cas agreed. – You’re returning from a hunt, right?

\- Exactly, you got it.

Jay took her sunglasses from the dashboard, going to hide her recently acquired bruise, but then she changed her mind and handed them to Cas.

\- Here you go. Put them on. Just in case the cops’ve already sent out your scetch all over the state and around.

Cas bewilderedly moved the glasses in his hands and put them on carefully, trying not to touch the cuts on his face. Then he lowered the sun visor to look at himself in the familiar mirror. He ran his fingers through his unruly hair and thoroughly pulled it up making a small mohawk. Jay glanced at him and chuckled silently.

\- Looking gorgeous, don’t even doubt about it.

\- That’s a disguise, too, – Cas sounded embarrassed.

\- That’s what I thought. And the glasses become you more than me. So you can have them.

\- Thank you! – Cas suddenly smiled so brightly the girl didn’t notice she smiled herself, failing to make serious face, and then she burst laughing.

\- Did I do anymething wrong? – Cas wondered, lifting the sun visor back.

\- No, it’s fine. I’m just beginning to like you, – Jay took her eyes back to the road, still smiling, and speeded up. – So I’ll give you my chocolate. It’s in the glove box, just open and take it. And the water, too, if you want it.

Having unwrapped the chocolate, he took a bite of it and realized how hungry he was. He wasn’t aware of his human needs and even forgot about about them thinking of other things. But now his mouth watered so much he almost choked. 

\- Mmm… Thank you, Jay! It’s delicious! – he muttered, crushed and put the empty wrapper in his pocket and opened the water bottle. His thurst turned out to be even worse than his hunger which he understood already shaking the last drop off onto his tongue.

\- Great you like it. I love chocolate, too.

\- Oh, sorry! I must have shared it with you, – Castiel looked down awkwardly, firtively licking chocolate stains off his lips.

\- It’s okay, be my guest, - the hunter assured him. – We’ll have a more substantial bite when we arrive at Trinidad.

\- That’s good… - Cas moved to get more comfortable, contemplating the scenery through the window.

He was starting to doze off when a phone rang in Jay’s glove box. Cas gave a start of surprise and exchanged looks with the hunter. The girl took the phone and read the black letters on the glowing screen: “Dean W. calling”.


	3. Chapter 3

— Hello? — Joyce supposed the older Winchester was going to call to find out the situation, but she didn’t expect him to be that fast.

— Hi, Joyce! — Dean greeted her, getting to the point at once. — What have you got there? Have you found Cas?

— Whoa, wait. We had an agreement, right? And it was your idea by the way.

— Oh yeah, right… — Dean cleared his throat and started reciting. — “Big gun! Big gun number one…”

The girl giggled softly.

— Here we go, you should’ve started with that. “TNT – I’m a power load”. Hi, Dean. Yeah, Cas is here, putting him on the phone. 

Cas rushed to grab the phone with his bandaged hand, forgetting about his wound, gasped silently and took it with his good hand. 

— Dean! Are you alright? How’s Sam? What happened? — He noticed his breath and heart quickened of anxiety. It was one more sensation to get used to, but it seemed nothing at that moment.

Joyce chuckled happily and breathed a sigh of relief, secretly watching Cas’ worried face gradually relaxing while he was speaking with his best friend. There was just a couple of hours it took her to feel sincere affection for this weird guy who suddenly overwhelmed her when the only thing she wanted was to get back home and have a rest after the exhausting and unpleasant experience. What she wanted to know was what had happened to his friends, who he was, what kind of creatures angels were, why he had to hide from them and many things more. But all of a sudden she found herself thinking that the smile she saw on his battered face was as important to her as all those questions. Confused with her sentimental thoughts, she pursed her lips and peered at the grey road surface going straight ahead.

— Yes, Dean, sure. I understand. — Cas’ tone became serious after Dean had talked to him continuously for several minutes, and Joyce didn’t know why. — Jay, — he handed her the phone. — Dean wants to tell you something.

— Dean? – She pressed the phone to her shoulder with her ear, taking it more comfortably and grabbing the wheel again. — Any good news? — she asked, not actually believing there was anything too good to hear.

— Listen, Joyce… The situation’s changed a bit.

— What’s up? Anything wrong with Sam? Is he okay?

— Yeah, Sam is alright. He said hello to you, and he’s sleeping in our car right now. We’re on our way to Lebanon. 

— Oh, cool! We’re going there, too — that’s the plan, right? We’ll just stop at my place to sleep over and leave early in the morning.

— Wait, wait, Joyce, the thing is… Change of plan actually…

 

Cas looked lost, staring at the changing scenery through the car window. He had noticed earlier it calmed him down, but it wasn’t helping at the moment. He was thinking on the things Dean had told him and falling into sadness deeper and deeper. So he wasn’t likely to see his friends in the nearest future. Dean made it clear it wasn't an appropriate time for that and their reunion had to be postponed indefinitely, but he didn’t give any explanation. Though Dean sounded guilty and apologized thrice considering the sudden change of their plan, feeling sorry that it was impossible for them to meet, Cas couldn’t fight the nasty feeling that he was betrayed. Realizing Dean was sure to have a sound reason and it was unfair and useless to hold grudges made it even worse. 

He came around when Jay was calling his name, alarmed and squeezing his wrist. He just realized the car stopped.

— Cas! Cas, you okay? Hey, look at me! – She took his sunglasses off, lifted his pale face by his chin and looked into his eyes carefully. – Are you dizzy? Nauseous?

— I don’t know… Maybe a little… Or maybe not…

He opened the door and staggered out to the curb. Jay got out of the car on her side and went around the hood. Cas was breathing heavily, leaning on the roof of the Land Rover. Suddenly he bent over and threw up on the road gravel. 

The hunter approached and took him by his shoulders. When his cramps stopped, she sat him back down on the passenger seat. 

— It’s alright, it’s alright. You just sit here, okay? You seem to have a slight concussion, but don’t worry, you’ll be fine, — she muttered, crouching down in front of him and patting his bandaged hand reassuringly. 

Cas buried his face in his hands for a couple of minutes, catching his breath. Jay was watching him patiently.

— Hey, how are you? Feeling any better? – she asked when Cas raised his head and looked at her wearily. There were dark circles under his beautiful eyes. 

— Yes, I guess so, thanks. What a weird sensation…

— That’s for sure! — Jay stood up and dusted her knees down. – You just… don’t be sad. Dean said they’re fine, and you’ll see them soon. Well, maybe a bit later, not a big deal, - she reached her hand and kindly run it through his hair. — Consider it a vacation. Though it’s still like a survival school vacation for you… But you’ll see, you’ll get used to it. It’s sometimes not too bad to be human. Maybe you’ll even like it. Come on, cheer up! 

— “Sometimes” sounds right so far… — Cas grinned but not as bitterly as she could expect. — By the way, is there a restroom over here? Seems like I need to go… um… get used to it.

— Oh, sure, there’s an unlimited number of restrooms here. — The hunter waved her hand widely pointing at the trees beside the road. — Feel free!

— Ah… I understand, — Cas got up heavily and dragged himself in the said direction.

— Just don’t trip over there! — Jay shouted after him, taking her lighter and cigarettes. She lit one and leaned over the hood of her Land Rover.

* * *

It was already about 8:00 p. m. when they got to Trinidad. Tired and exhausted, they literally came falling through the door of the local diner called "Bob & Earl's" and sat down at a table by the window. A chunky crimson-haired waitress brought a menu, and they ordered a big meal. 

Watching Cas sinking his teeth in his burger eagerly, Jay muttered with her mouth full of French fries:  
— If I were you, I'd be more careful with food. What if you puke again? Oops, sorry, they don't say that at a dinner table.

— Huh? Oh, no, I won't. I feel much better now. Just a little noise in my ears.

— Cool! You'll be as good as new when you get some rest. — Jay looked at the half of the portion of her French fries left on her plate and sighed wearily. — Takeout maybe? Seems like I overestimated my appetite.

Hearing this, Cas slowly took one piece and looked at the girl with a question in his eyes.

— Oh, just help yourself, — she said with a smile. — I see you underestimated yours.

After leaving the diner they got into the car and quickly made in to Joyce' house. Trinidad was a small town and almost all the houses in it were single storey as well as the old tiny one with chipped green paint on its walls which they approached.

— Welcome to my magnificent manor, — the hunter pronounced jokingly, turning a key in a lock which looked rather new compared to the rest of the house. She turned on the light but took a little time before letting her guest in, having a glance of all the visible corners and checking them for possible danger. Her hunter habits worked really well for her many times though they sometimes looked funny. Having made sure everything was alright, she gave Castiel a sign to come in.

Cas smiled going through the door and taking a better look of the surroundings. In a small living-room there were an old but sturdy couch at the wall by the window half-covered by faded curtains. Beside there was a hardly new desk with several books on it, a coffee-table and a rather dusty TV-set opposite the couch. The wooden floor was creaking under his feet. Out of the two doors leading to the bedroom and the kitchen only the bedroom one had a handle.

Jay came back after checking the rest of the rooms, took off her jacket and threw it on one of the chairs carelessly. Castiel was still standing in the middle of the living-room and staring at the lonely light bulb without a lampshade with a tilt of his head.

— It's very cosy here, — he said turning to the hunter which made her move her eyebrow and burst laughing.

— Thanks, you're so kind, - she replied, coming closer to Cas and looking at the light bulb, too. — I don't care for the interior design but it's liveable. Have a seat for a while, I'll make a bed for you and bring a towel.

After saying that she locked and chained the door thoroughly and went to the bedroom, and Cas heard a sound of wooden drawers moving. He had one more look at the simple surroundings, took a couple of steps to the couch, sat down and put his heavy head on the its soft back.

When Jay returned, he was already sleeping with his head on the armrest. His boots were neatly sitting on the floor near the couch.

— Well, nothing too surprising... — she mumbled to herself, going back to get a blanket. After she thoughtfully covered Castiel who was sleeping like a log, she came to the bathroom door and reached her hand to open it. But she hasitated for a second and just went back to the bedroom and fell down on her bed with her face down, not even taking her clothes off.

 

Waking up up in the morning, Jay rolled onto her back and moaned covering her face with her hands when the sunshine from the window hit her eyes. She rubbed her sleepy and a little crumpled face, stood up with a sigh and peeped to the living-room through her door. Cas was still sleeping on the couch in the same posture she left him the previous night. The girl smiled softly, crossed the bedroom quietly and entered the bathroom, taking off her dirty clothes and dropping them to the floor. She threw a frown at her reflection in the mirror, looking at her messy hair and long deep scars covering the upper part of her back and her right shoulder. She started the shower and eagerly stood under the stream of hot water.

When the hunter went out, fixing a terry towel on her wet hair, she heard the electric kettle noise in the kitchen. She peered through the bedroom door quietly and saw only the accurately folded blanket on the couch. Cas' boots were still beside the couch. Jay wiped her hair quickly and combed it with her fingers, then put on a simple purple T-shirt and worn-out home jeans.

Castiel was sitting on a stool at the table with his hands on the table and his chin resting on them, observing the water in the kettle boiling.

— Good morning! — he greeted the barefoot girl, lifting his head and smiling.

— Hiya, Cas! Did you sleep well? — Jay leaned her back against the wall and put her hands in her jeans' pockets.

— I really don't know... - He tilted his head in a familiar funny way. — I don't remember that.

— So that means well! — The hunter grinned and took two big mugs out of the closet. — Will you have coffee or tea?

Cas took pensive look again. Seeing that, Jay took one more mug.

— Right, I got it. Try both?

— Yes, thank you.

She put coffee in two mugs and a black teabag in the third one and placed all of them on the table. The kettle button clicked just in time, and she reached her hand to take it, but Castiel got ahead of her, touching its black handle cautiously.  
— May I?

— Sure! Feel at home.

Cas carefully filled all the three mugs without losing a drop and returned the kettle on its stand.

— Wow, not bad! — Jay complimented him and sat on another stool beside him. — Thanks. I never thought an angel would make coffee for me.

— I'm not an angel, - said Cas after a short pause. — Not anymore.

Jay gasped and covered her face with her palm for a second.

— Cas, I'm sorry! I didn't want to hurt you. Damn, I'm an idiot!

— Don't be sorry, Jay. — Cas looked at her and smiled sadly with one corner of his mouth. — That's not your fault. Besides, it's true.

— I should've watched my tongue better, - she uttered embarrassedly.

— I lost my grace and I can't be an angel without it. I'm weak now and not even sure I'm human as I have no idea if I have a soul. I can't feel it...

Jay felt a hard lump rising in her throat. She shook her wet hair to hold back the coming unwanted tears and took Cas' hands in hers softly.

— Listen, Cas, - said the hunter decidedly. — I have a really vague idea of all those angelic matters, but still listen... I know angels are the warriors of God. They were created to safeguard our world, to protect the creation from evil. Protect people. That's their essence, right?

— Yes, Jay, you are right. — Cas leaned forward a bit, listening closely.

— Well, so what I tell you now is what I beleive hundred per cent. A protector and a warrior by nature can't be weak. If a soldier is wounded or loses his weapons, their self doesn't change. Wounds heal, a new weapon can be found, and the torments make them even stronger, — feeling her heart beat, she stood up and put her hands on his shoulders.  
Cas stared into her widely open grey eyes in mute amazement. — And don't you dare to beleive I can let you think otherwise, got it?

Jay cupped his face with her palms and placed a fond kiss upon his dry lips half open of surprise. Moving back, she saw his eyes glisten humidly, and Cas reached for her seeking for the continuation of the kiss. The girl ran the fingers of her right hand through his unruly hair, flinging her left hand round his neck, pressing her lips to his, deepening the kiss and feeling Cas kissing her back more and more determinately, putting his arms around her heatedly. She straddled him, squeezing his thighs with hers, and they continued stroking and kissing each other, starting to lose control. Jay's tongue slid gently along his lips which became soft and plump, and Cas literally dug his tongue into her soft pliable mouth, holding the back of her head surely but carefully, and pressed her thighs to his more tightly. Jay moaned in a low voice, feeling his hardening flesh between her legs, and moved back reluctantly, breaking the kiss. Heaving a sigh, she touched his forehead with hers.

— Cas, Cas, wait... Come on, Cas! — She gripped his shoulders, but his hands kept moving along her thighs pulling her closer to himself, so she had to pin them down with hers. - I'm eager to go on, but we have to do a lot of other things today. I should learn to oppose angels, and you - to survive among people, remember? - She touched his wishful lips with hers once again, but already lightly and reservedly.

— Yes, that's true... — Castiel chuckled, loosening his embrace, but sparkles of pleasure were still glinting in his blue eyes. — Though I liked the first point of our agenda very much. 

— Me, too, - Jay replied. — And I mean not only kissing. Though that's actually the second point. The first one was tea... or coffee. What do you want to taste first? Just don't tell...

Cas enveloped her in his arms slowly but tightly and buried his face in her wet shampoo smelling hair.

— May I just sit with you like this for a couple more minutes? Please...

She pressed her warm lips to his temple and hugged him back.


	4. Chapter 4

— Actually it’s a myth, Jay, — Castiel noticed wisely, observing in the water in the wash stand swirl into a funnel in the sinkhole.

— I’m not insisting it’s true, — Jay replied from the living-room, holding a sheet of paper covered with intricate symbols in one hand and an aerosol red paint can in another, copying the said symbols on the old wallpaper and the door. — I'm telling tell you people think so. Don’t get distracted, go to the shower. The toothbrush is on the mirror.

A minute later she heard water splattering in the shower as well as the sound of falling plastic bottles and Cas’ bewildered voice:

— Jay, it’s cold!

— Don’t worry, it’ll get warmer soon! — she shouted back with a chuckle and went to the bedroom, shaking the can. Continuing drawing the protecting sigils, she casually imagined the variants of the course of events in case of a sudden landlady’s visit. Though the old lady didn’t show up during the three months Jay had lived there, either being polite or having poor health, and it came in handy.

When the hunter passed over the the kitchen walls and cupboards, Cas went out of the bathroom wearing the trousers left of his destroyed dress-suit, pulling his sweatshirt on in process. Stamping his bare feet towards Jay who was just finishing the last symbol at the moment, he stood up near the girl, watching her making the final touch carefully.

— You know, I suppose it’s beautiful! I wouldn’t appreciate this earlier.

— Are you complimenting my artistic talent?

— Oh well… Perhaps I am? — Cas felt flummoxed and looked at his bare toes.

— Cas, it’s a joke, come on! — Jay smiled and took his hand. — Sorry I have no slippers to offer you. Let’s go. 

— A joke? ... – Cas muttered under his breath. — But I really like it..

They sat down on the couch, Jay put the paint can on the floor and took one more sheet of paper from the coffee table, comparing the only symbol on it with the ones already painted on the walls and doors.

— So if I got it right, the ones I painted before won’t let angels go inside the house. — Cas nodded affirmatively. — Shall we paint this one now, too?

— No, this symbol is for emergencies. It’s painted only with fresh blood and banishes all the angels present around. — Castiel took the paper out of the girl’s hands and peered at the sigil with a circle in the middle and several smaller elements he drew earlier. — Generally it should take angels back to Heaven, but it’s closed now… So I’m even not sure it works. — Cas put the paper back on the table with a sigh, and Jay immediately took it again.

— It’s okay, I’ll remember it, and we’ll act as the case might be, — she said with decision, looking at the symbol attentively and drawing it with her fingers in the air with her eyes closed. — And you don’t worry and put your boots on. We’re going shopping.

Having left the house, they got in the Land Rover, intending to go downtown. Cas put on the sunglasses given him by Jay, taking them from the dashboard.

— Don’t forget about your hair, — she reminded, reaching her hand to ruffle it.  
— Yes, of course. Disguise, — said Cas solemnly in a deep voice, moving the glasses to the tip of his nose.

— Right. Disguise is no joke. — The hunter started the car and drove to the middle of the street.

— Why are you smiling then?

— Hmm… Probably it’s actually a joke. You’ve just made a joke, Cas.

 

First they went to a clothing store and choose new outfit for Cas. He left the building wearing fashionable jeans, blue-and-white plaid shirt and dark grey canvas jacket, holding a couple of packages in his hands.

— Jay, I could pay for it, I have money!

— Hey, Cas, do you think it’s me who pays? No way. — The girl snorted with laughter and took a credit card out of her pocket. — Look, it’s written “Cora Delaney” here. Is it my name? — She gave him a roguish wink and put the card back.

— Oh, I understand! — Cas guessed. — Obviously this lady doesn’t exist. You… how to say that… cheat on credit cards, right? Dean says like that.

— You’re quite right. I hope you don’t mind, do you?

— I absolutely don’t mind. I understand it’s a necessity for hunters, so I don’t mind at all.

— That’s wise of you. Miss Delaney will buy you some chocolate ice-cream for that. Well, and for me, too. — Jay moved her eyebrows up and down dramatically.

— Yeah, — Cas smiled, — is it a joke?  
— Come on, Cas! — said the girl in a hushed tone, frowning. — Ice-cream is a very serious matter! Especially chocolate one. 

The next item of their program was a grocery store. Jay walked along the aisle between the shelves, pushing a cart in front of her and putting vegetables, frozen steaks, bread and whatnot in it methodically. Cas followed her, turning his head and looking around with curiosity.

— What is this? – he asked taking a box of cornflakes from the shelf.

— This is cereal, for the lazy ones, — the girl stated busily. — Throw it into the cart. And get some milk, okay? It’s over there…

Keeping staring around curiously, Cas went in that direction, turned around the corner to the next aisle and got out of sight. When Jay caught him near the cash desk, a cheerful cashier girl already packed his purchase in a small paper bag, and he was giving her several banknotes which were rather wrinkled. Looking behind him when Jay touched his shoulder and glanced at him surprisedly, he gave her a shy smile, leaned towards her and whispered in her ear:

— Sorry, I just wanted to try it myself.

Putting her bags in the Land Rover's truck, Jay asked casually:

— So where did you get the money after all, Cas?

— Some good samaritan gave it to me, and he also drove me to the gas station where we were to meet. There are a lot of good people in the world.

— Hmm... Well, wow! Though I wouldn't be too sure of it if I were you. Okay, what did you buy? — she threw a glance at the paper bag Cas was pressing to his chest with both hands, grinning proudly. 

— Here, look, — he started to pull the things he bought out of the bag one by one. — Milk... — the hunter nodded approvingly, — two chocolates, — and she rubbed her hands. — And this is what the girl at the cash-desk advised, she told it's for safety. I didn't ask what it was because it most likely would've sounded suspiciously. But we do care for safety, am I right?

Jay burst out laughing, but after putting all Castiel's purchases in the trunk and closing it she complimented him seriously:

— Good for you! You even have no idea how right you are!

Castiel tilted jis head to his left shoulder in bewilderment.

— And now ice-cream is the plan. — Jay locked the car, took him by his elbow and led him to a coffee shop nearby.

 

After a gloomy goth waiter left, the hunter kicked Cas’ foot quietly but tangibly.

— You shouldn’t gawk at people like that, it looks weird! Not that I didn’t like weird, but we don’t want any unnecessary attention, right?

— But was I… Well, yes — I was gawking, — he admitted and, having leant over the table, whispered to Jay: — This boy looks so unusual! But I’ll try not too… gawk anymore.

Though when the waiter came back with two portions of chocolate ice-cream with chocolate chips, Cas couldn’t help glancing at his tattooed arms unwittingly.

— Your tattoos are wonderful! – he said with a deep voice.

— Thank you, sir! Bon appetit! – The guy who had seemed very sullen and serious before turned red which didn’t fit his gothic style at all and quickly walked away hiding a confused smile.

— Here we go, Cas, you embarrassed him. Better eat your ice-cream, - Jay advised and took a spoonful of her chocolate treat. 

 

Having enjoyed the ice-cream and paid for the bill brought by the same shy waiter, they went outside and got into Jay’s Land Rover. Turning the ignition key, Jay looked in the rearview mirror, getting ready to leave the parking. Though instead of expected screeching grunting the old engine made a couple of unsatisfied rattles and got quiet.

— Well… — Jay pursed her lips looking concerned and turned the key once again. — Easy, dummy, just breathe… — The third key turn was no success, and the upset hunter hit the steering wheel with both hands in anger with a curse.

Cas who was observing her key manipulations with interest, blinked with sudden surprise. 

— Okay than…— the girl forced herself to smile trying to look up in front of her blue-eyed passenger. — Fine! It’s a little town, we can walk. It takes about twenty minutes to get to my house.

— I’m sorry your car is broken, — Cas said looking as if it was he who broke it, and added enthusiastically: — I can carry all our shopping bags!

They took the bags out of the trunk and and started walking along the street. Jay took her phone out of her pocket on their way and dialed the number of the mechanic she used to know.

— Hey, Alan! You know, my dummy is glitching again. Yeah, like the previous time. Yep, I remember you told me… I left it at the supermarket parking. You’ll take it? Cool, thanks! I owe you a beer for the emergency! Bye!

Putting her phone back, she tried to take at least one bag from Castiel, but he dodged twice with a grin, so the girl stopped trying not without a certain amount of pleasure.

— You know, Jay, Dean calls his car a baby, — Cas said suddenly when they were already half way to the hunter’s house. — I don’t understand why. It’s not that little and rather old…

— Well… — she responded after thinking a bit. — They often call not only new-borns this way but also someone who they love, feeling fond of, who they protect and take care of. Actually calling a car such a name is a little weird… but sweet.

— And you don’t love your Land Rover, do you, Jay? You call it a dummy, and this is not a gentle word.

— Why wouldn’t I love it? – the girl pouted. – It’s an affectionate nickname. It’s a good car, it saved me more than once. But I feel it won’t last long. It’s going to shuffle off this mortal coil soon… — She sighed with sadness and looked up in the sky as if she was looking for a place for her loyal iron associate. Castiel’s quizzical glance followed the same direction.

A big cold drop fell onto his forehead. And impressive-sized purple cloud was covering the sky above Trinidad, and its intentions were clearly far from good.

A harsh wind blew, and another heavy drop slapped his lips sonorously. He snorted hilariously, keeping admiring the monster wreathing in the sky.

— Holy cow! — exclaimed Jay disappointedly beside him. — It was going to be a great day! Hey, Cas, let’s pace up, perhaps we can get there in time… 

But hardly they walked several steps, the sky flashed, cracked deafeningly and unleashed cold streams of rain which was rather cold for the beginning of fall. The bluff streams ruthlessly whipped the instantly blackened asphalt of the road, turning it into a muddy river. They ran under the raging downpour, holding each other’s hands not to slip in the bubbling puddles, until they understood that running was of no use when you’re already soaking wet.

In several minutes the couple finally reached the hunter’s house porch. Tired and cold, they laughed looking at each other, leaning their wet backs against the door and trying to catch their breath. When Jay took out the key, she couldn’t put it in the key hole because it was slipping in her hands shaking with cold. Trying to get above the noise of the rain, she shouted in Cas’ ear:

— Actually I love thunderstorms! – He nodded quickly, and several raindrops fell from his chin. — But…

At that moment Jay managed to open the stubborn lock, and they went inside, slamming the door in relief.

— I love thunderstorms, too, it’s a magnificent spectacle! — Castiel put the shopping bags on the floor, wiped his wet face with his palm and shaked the rain water off his fingers. — But I feel so cold now! And you, Jay?

— I was going to tell you the same, sure I am! – the hunter replied, taking the bags and checking the room as usual on her way to the kitchen. — I hope your clothes isn’t too wet… I mean the ones you’re not wearing now. There’s pool on the floor flooding from you. 

However not only Cas’ new clothes got soaked, but the food bag also was water damaged. Fortunately the environmentally unsafe but useful at the moment plastic packages protected the foodstuffs, but the clothes weren’t that lucky. Cas put the food into the fridge carefully and, having joined Jay in the bathron, watched her ripping the labels off his new clothes damaged by the universal injustice and putting them into the washing machine. Examining his jeans stained with mud, he joked:

— Looks like there isn’t enough space for us there…

Laughing cheerfully, Jay turned to Cas and pulled his wet shirt collar.

\- Take it off, too. Or else you can catch a cold.

The hunter suddenly stopped smiling and gasped quietly, watching him in an open manner while he was fumbling with his slippery buttons.


	5. Chapter 5

\- Let me help you, - she said, coming close to Сas and tugging his shirt off his shoulders along with his jacket. The drenched fabric stuck to the cold skin of his shoulders, not willing to give in, but eventually it fell onto the tiled floor of the bathroom with a wet slap. The blade tucked away in the pocket of his jacket clinked softly.  
Castiel slowly raised his bewildered look to Jay as she, gently running her fingertips along his cheek, said softly:

\- I just want to warm you...

With his hands, as cold as his shoulders, Castiel took her by the waist, timidly at first but then more confidently.

\- You’re cold, too. And I want ... - Her soft lips, clinging to his, didn’t allow him to finish speaking, but that was no longer important. She eagerly ran her fingers through his wet licorice hair. Without breaking the kiss, which became more and more ardent, he easily grabbed her under her thighs, covered with wet jeans, and seated her on the washing machine.

\- Cas ... - Jay moaned gently into his beautifully contoured sensual lips. - Cas ...

She reached out to the buttons of her shirt, trying to unbutton it with one hand, not wanting to break the touch, and felt his hurried fingers trying to help her awkwardly. Losing her patience, Jay ran her fingernails down his neck, leaving pink stripes on his soft skin. Castiel flinched, as if shocked by electricity, and looked into her eyes, darkened with desire. He tore off the damp checkered fabric with one strong movement, which made the unfortunate buttons scatter in all directions like a canister. Without averting her dazed eyes from him, the girl dropped the hopelessly ruined shirt on the floor, which was followed by her black tank top, exposing her small breasts with fair nipples that hardened either from the cold or the arousal.

Cas suddenly paused, pulling back and squeezing her thighs with his fingers. Catching his breath, which became shortened, he looked down at the bulge that appeared under his jeans in his groin.

\- Jay, I ... I'm sorry, I am ... Generally, I have little idea what to do next ... - he said in a low hoarse voice and closed his eyes guiltily.

\- Hey, Cas, - she cupped his face with her palms, gently stroking his cheekbones with her thumbs. - I understood it a little earlier. It’s fine. Just come closer...

She touched the back of his right hand and smoothly moved it to her breast. Her hard nipple pressed into his palm, and Cas felt a slight tingling in it. He gently squeezed the tender flesh, at the same time pressing his lips to the girl's captivating scarlet mouth. His jeans seemed tighter to him, and he furtively unbuttoned the top button on them.

\- Yes ... - he heard Jay’s voice, muffled with passion. - Let's take it all off ... - She unbuttoned his fly and slipped her warming fingers inside, squeezing his hard cock through the boxer briefs’ fabric.

Cas groaned louder than she expected, causing the tension in her abdomen to instantly become stronger, approaching the edge of pain. She hungrily kissed his collarbone, leaving a purple mark, moving her hand at the same time, playing, releasing and squeezing harder, listening to the delicious moans that Cas made while he kept stroking her hardened breasts with two hands. No longer able to resist the desire to give him maximum pleasure, Jay jumped off the washing machine, turned Cas’ back against the white plastic-covered surface and, standing in front of him, pulled down his jeans along with the boxers to the middle of his muscular thighs.

His hard cock immediately bounced to his lower abdomen, leaving a shiny drop of precum on his skin. Biting her lower lip from desire, Jay again touched the pulsating organ again, smearing the clear liquid over the head, sliding her hand up and down and feeling the emerging contour of veins. Cas threw his head back and grabbed the edge of the washing machine so hard that the tips of his fingers turned white, and a drop of blood leaked out from under his wounded palm. Jay felt that he was already close to the climax, and slowed down, easing the pressure.

\- Wait, sweetie, not yet now, hush, hush ... - she soothed Castiel in a gentle whisper. He raised a bleary look to her and reached his hand to touch her flushed face. Looking at his palm, Jay flinched at first, but then affectionately touched his bloody fingers and kissed the wounded skin delicately. He put his right arm around her back and pressed his half-open mouth to her swollen lips, feeling the taste of his own blood on them. Suddenly, it aroused him even more, and he greedily thrust his tongue even deeper into her hot mouth, causing her muffled moan and passionate response. Seemingly idle, she broke the kiss, panting and looking right into his eyes with dilated pupils, and slowly began to kneel down in front of him, tracing a path of wet kisses along his chest crossed aslant with a long bruise from the recent accident. As if inadvertently touching his sensitive bellybutton with her tongue, which made Castiel, amazedly watching her actions, twitch slightly, she rested her knees on the hard floor, squeezed his cock with her fingers again and slowly licked the head, watching Cas' reaction. Another moan escaped his lips, and she closed her eyes, took the entire head into her mouth, moving back and forth and pressing her tongue against the smooth skin, accelerating and swallowing his increasingly hardening cock deeper. Cas, moaning through his clenched teeth, breathing heavy and shallow, involuntarily began to move his hips voluptuously to meet her entrancingly seductive movements.

\- Jay ... - Castiel touched her hair, his hoarse voice trembling with tension. The girl pulled back, gazing admiringly as he tossed his head back and arched his spine, gasping with his mouth open, and made several more strong and quick hand motions. What she heard a second later was more like a cry of pain than a moan of pleasure. Hot pearl-white semen splashed out with several whippy streams plentifully on her breast, and a moment later Castiel fell on his knees in front of Jay, panting and seeing nothing except spots of pitch darkness, dropping his head on her shoulder. His heart was beating loudly in a frantic rhythm in his chest rising heavily. She embraced him hastily, fearing that he could fall face down on the tiled floor, and the sweet-smelling liquid rubbed slipperyly between them like oil between some strange mechanism details.

A minute later, Сas, having come to his senses, silently wrapped his arms around her and, while they were on their knees, embracing each other, like after a long separation, he whispered wearily: “Jay... My... Jay ...” Then he reclined heavily, leaning his back on the round door of the washing machine.

The girl sat down next to him, rubbing her aching knees. Cas grabbed her hand and softly kissed her slender fingers which had caressed him before.

\- Jay, that was ... - he paused, looking for the right word.

\- Unholy? - the hunter prompted, hiding a sly smile.

\- Ravishing, - he corrected.

\- Actually, I planned that we would warm ourselves in the shower... Well, for a start, - she added with a smirk after a short silence.

Castiel looked at her questioningly with his cornflower-blue eyes.

\- But now we’ll need it to clean ourselves, - Jay concluded, grinning, completely pulling off his jeans and taking on her own.

Having got rid of the rest of her clothes, the girl turned the shower faucet and, stretching out her hand, waited for the water to take the desired temperature. Cas approached her from behind, making a strong and at the same time gentle embrace, touched his lips to the silky skin just below her ear, dropping down along the neck and gently nibbling at her scarred shoulder.

\- I want to make you happy too, Jay, - he said seriously, hugging her tightly. She grinned and turned around, raising and reaching her hand, fingering the thick hair at the back of his head and smiling at the thought that she wouldn’t have to beg him to continue. Having turned to him completely, she took his hand and dragged him along, stepping back under the stream of warm water.

Their lips met again when they embraced under a relaxingly splattering waterfall. Jay wrapped her arms around his strong shoulders, ran her nails over the smooth skin covering the taut muscles of his back. Sliding his palms across her chest, pausing for a couple of seconds with his fingers on her tender nipples, Cas resolutely grabbed the girl by the waist and pressed her back to the tiled wall of the shower stall already heated with water. Surprised by his vigor, she lowered her head slightly so as not to hit the hard surface, and laughed softly, her forehead in his chest.

\- Wow! Cas ...

\- Do you like it? - he asked thoughtfully.

\- Yes ... You just make me melt ... - she said in a small voice.

His hand slid down from her waist, and she raised her thigh toward his movement, running her encouraging hand up his cheek. His searching fingers sank lower and gently penetrated her hot and slippery crotch. The hunter, eager with desire, could not restrain a convulsive sigh of pleasure. Castiel drew back his hand in dismay. 

\- Did I hurt you?

\- Oh, Cas, not at all, you make me feel so good...” she mumbled slurring her words with pleasure. - Please…

She brought his hand back impatiently, and he continued to caress her more boldly. As his fingers touched the sensitive knob of her clit, Jay dug a hot kiss into Cas’ neck, muffling her hoarse moan. She covered his hand with her own, guiding his movements. He smiled gratefully, pressed his mouth to her parted lips, and their tongues wove together, gliding along each other. Their joined hands were moving faster and faster, richly covered with her love juices, and Cas felt the girl's feminity getting hotter under his daring fonding.

Moaning louder and panting, jay broke the kiss and, having closed her eyes, dropped her head on his chest. No longer controlling her hand, gasping for the moist air, she whispered:

\- Harder, Cas ...

He complied with that, contouring several more small circles with his fingers, and was rewarded with the girl's already unstoppable loud moan, feeling her body shaking with pleasure. He kept stroking her by intuition, gradually slowing down his hand movements, squeezing her orgasm to the last drop, until she stopped trembling and clenching his fingers. Helplessly hanging on his shoulders, she got her breath a little and slowly met his admiring gaze with her drunken eyes, almost black with pleasure, being unable to say a word.

\- You are amazing! - said Castiel with sheer delight, kissing the girl gently and softly taking a strand of wet hair from her flushed face, covered with sparkling drops of water. 

\- Hey, Cas... you are… - Smiling absently, she gradually got to her feet, trying to compose her mind, and stretched out her hand to take a bottle of shower gel from the shelf. - Let's wash ourselves still get out of here.

 

...They lounged idly on Jay's bed, resting after the fascinating minutes of intimacy, which brought so much pleasure that the languor that followed was just a lovely excuse to relax and enjoy each other embrace. Jay lay on her stomach, resting her head on her crossed arms, while Cas, lying on his side near her, lightly ran his fingers across her back along the deep whitened scars, apparently from the claws of a monster.

\- What happened to you? Bad luck on a hunt? - asked Castiel, adding hastily: - If it is not a secret, of course! And you know ... if I had my grace, I could heal them, - he said wistfully, feeling the uneven surface of the scars with his fingertips.

\- Cas ... - she smiled slightly, glancing at him with her sleepy eyes. - If you had your grace, we most likely would never have met. - She turned to him, pillowed her head with her hand, and tidied his hair, which fell on his forehead. - But thanks, it's so nice of you to care about me.

\- You care about me, Castiel smiled. - I feel so good with you, so easy ... You are my ... guardian human.

\- Well, - she smiled back, putting her hand on his chest, - since we decided on my role, let me say that it’s an honor for me to be your guardian, - she leaned over his face and kissed his still wet lips. - And pleasure.

The hunter turned over on her back, clasping herself with her hands over the blanket.

-I‘ll tell you what happened, If you want .

Cas covered her hand with his palm, stroking her fingers covered with healing scratches, and prepared to listen carefully.

\- It really was a hunt,” Jay began. But not mine ... My friends and I celebrated our graduation from colleges — each had her own, but we had been friends since childhood, so we hung out together whenever it was possible. Me, Karen and Frances, we were also called JFK. Like President Kennedy ... well, or the airport. So, we rented a house at the holiday camp, bought some boose and went into the forest to have fun. We made a fire, cooked food on the it, drank, made photos for memory, told each other about their future plans for life, laughed like crazy. It was so much fun! Then a guy with a girl came out of the forest - so confused, dirty and tired. Of course, we invited them to the fire, gave them drinks drink and sausages. They fell into talk and seemed pretty nice... Then suddenly they looked at each other craftily and attacked us. They suddenly had huge fangs and claws, and their eyes became wild... When I came to my senses on the floor in some shabby shack, tied up and bleeding from wounds, at first I thought that the fangs and claws just seemed to me drunk, but no. I was locked up in a small room like a closet and heard them talking, discussing the fact that it would be a good idea to leave me in reserve, and their younger sister would get a great lunch. I passed out again, and having woke up, I found out that a girl of about eleven was sitting next to me and looking at me with delight, as if I was a big fruit dessert... And that couple was standing in the doorway and encouraging her – like, come on, don’t be shy... Then they kind of heard some noise, and the guy went outside to see what was the matter. When after a couple of minutes he did not return, his older sister followed him, and then I heard a shot, and after a second, another one. A man with a gun burst into the room and shot the younger girl without flinching. She had such a surprised face when she fell with a smoking hole in her forehead ... I’ll never forget it. Anyway, that hunter, Travis, saved me. As it turned out, my friends were torn to pieces by those creatures at the site of our camp. Travis said that those were werewolves, which he had followed earlier, and took me to the hospital. And the scars... It was too late to stitch them up, so they healed not too glamorously... That was the hunt…

After finishing the story, Jay took a look at Castiel, who was lying next to her, gripping her fingers. His face looked embarrassed and puzzled.

\- And after that you became a hunter?

\- Not really. When I left the hospital, at first I just tried to forget about what had happened. Got a job in my specialty in a medical lab. Though my work didn’t last long, because I was a complete mess. I started having nightmares, hardly left the house, started smoking like a chimney... I beat up a co-worker — almost for nothing, for no reason. They fired me, I stayed at home with my parents for about five months, without going outside. They felt sorry for me and supported me the best way they could, but they didn’t understand what happened then. They thought I had come up with some kind of delirium out of fear, that those monsters were just some insane freaks, and not monsters at all. One night I cut myself with a razor, just because I wanted to take a bath of my own blood. Then again the hospital, handcuffs chaining me to the bed, several months in the asylum. Later, after convincing the doctors that I had really thought of monsters because of the guilt I felt because I survived, one the three of us, I found that hunter and followed him until he agreed to train me at least the basics of his craft. Only then it was possible to say that I became a hunter...

Castiel, with a doubt if asking questions was a good idea, didn’t remove his shocked gaze from Jay, who jokingly patted his hair and said in her usual ironic tone:

\- Hey, what’s up, Cas! Stop frowning right now! Come on, take it easy...

He hugged her gently with both hands and pulled her to himself. She realizing that it was vain to resist, and she didn’t want to. She rested her forehead on his finely moulded collarbones and closed her eyes with a smile, feeling his soft kisses on her eyelids, cheekbones and lips ... The pain of memories receded, giving way to the sweet relaxing warmth, cradling the girl in his caring embrace


	6. Chapter 6

When Jay opened her eyes, she found out that Castiel was snuffling peacefully in sleep, keeping holding her just like before. It was early evening, and as the rain stopped and the sky cleared, it was still quite light. Cautiously, trying not to wake up Cas, the girl slipped out of his sleepy embrace, quickly put on a stretched home shirt and took a jacket with cigarettes and a lighter in its pocket, because her body explicitly hinted at the need to indulge in her unhealthy addiction. On her way, dropping into the bathroom, she threw the washed clothes into the dryer, turned it on and, when she was leaving, closed the door tightly so that the noise wouldn’t wake Castiel. Quietly getting into the backyard through the back door in the kitchen, she put her hands into the sleeves of her jacket and sat cross-legged on a wooden bench adjacent to the wall of the house, pulling her shirt onto her bare knees. "In your own house, well, or at least in the backyard of your rented house, you do not have to look like the queen of the catwalk," thought the hunter, finally lighting a long-awaited cigarette. Eagerly dragging on, she admired the setting sun shining through the trees covering the horizon. The bitter smoke, combined with the humid cool air washed by the rain, was like the sweetest thing for her heart, and she enjoyed it with her eyes closed. Having finished smoking, she threw the cigarette butt into an empty beer can under the bench and stretched voluptuously, reaching her arms over her head.

A quiet creaking of floorboards came from the house, and a couple of seconds later, sleepy Castiel came out, barefoot and wrapped in a blanket, like a superhero in his cloak. Seeing Jay, he walked two steps on the wet grass, smiled silently, and sat down on the bench next to her, also admiring the beams of the setting sun.

\- Did I wake you up? - the girl asked. – Did the dryer rustle or cigarette smoke leak inside?

Cas shook his shaggy sleepy head negatively and pulled out a recently bought chocolate from the depth of his blanket.

\- Here, I wanted to share it with you, - he said in a voice, hoarse from sleep. – Want some? - He tried to tear the wrapper, causing the blanket start to slip down treacherously, exposing his bare shoulders. 

\- Hey, hey, - Jay fixed his insidious outfit and, taking the chocolate, unwrapped it and broke it in half.

\- Thank you, this is very kind, - she said, biting off her half and giving away the other one to Cas, who dispatched his share in a couple of bites. - You must be terribly hungry, and so am I. It's cold here. Let's go cook lunch better.

She stood up and pulled him along, taking him by the elbow hidden by the blanket. When they entered the house, Castiel hugged the girl from behind and pressed his face to the back of her head, warming her with breath. His hands, covered with dangling folds of blankets, clasped her like soft, fluffy wings. The hunter threw her head back onto his shoulder.

\- Mmm... so good... – she murmured.

They stood like that for a minute or two, and Jay reluctantly pulled away. 

\- Let’s find some clothes for you now. Yours have not dried yet, you know.

She opened her closet in the bedroom and, cursing silently, found another old-looking T-shirt, knitted socks and pajama pants with a cartoon kittens pattern on them.

\- Well, as they say, what’s mine is yours... Join me up when you get dressed. 

Having handed over the found treasures to Cas, she headed for the kitchen determinately. Cas accepted the idea of his participation in cooking the dinner enthusiastically, so Jay entrusted him to slice vegetables for salad. She put the pan on the stove, planning to fry the steaks. Looking at Castiel cuting fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers with a sharp knife, absorbedly and carefully, she made a silent note that he was adapting to human life surprisingly well. And moreover, the hunter got lost in admiration of his beautiful hands with long fingers, which recently caressed her so amazingly, so she didn’t immediately notice a smell of burning in the air. Swearing, she quickly set the pan aside from the heat. However, that didn’t ruin the taste of juicy steaks seasoned with spices, which she cooked without further accidents, nor the nice atmosphere in which they enjoyed their lunch.

\- Jay, can we watch TV? – Castiel asked, dragging his finger across the screen with care. - I used to like it before. 

\- Hmm ... - Jay went to the dusty TV set and plugged it into the outlet, not really hoping that it would work. However, when she pressed the button, the screen lit up, and they sat on the couch to watch TV shows. Then they switched to a scientific channel, later a culinary show and science fiction. It got dark insensibly, and they sat, leaning their shoulders against each other and watching an episode of "Star Wars".

\- You know, Jay, - Cas said with a thoughtful smile, holding the girl’s fingers in his hands, - you were right. I really like a lot of what is considered human. It's great to sleep, drink tea, go shopping, eat delicious food, take shower... caress a girl... - He said the last, blushing noticeably, which caused Jay to have a sly grin. - Although many things are not too pleasant. - He looked at his healing palm. - Pain, fear, fatigue, hunger... Although I understand that it could be much worse... - After a pause, he added: - But one still has to look for a toilet all the time! This is so annoying!..

\- Yeah, that sucks, - Jay laughed, - such a bummer! It’d be better if we had a nuclear reactor instead of our digestive system! Imagine - wasteless technology! Although ... perhaps there would be other problems. For example, do not overheat. Otherwise - boom! - and we’re having a freaking nuclear test site around!

\- Wow, - Cas casually bowed his head to one side. - Interesting... Although then we could have our own cooling cooling! Right, for example, a vascular system with liquid nitrogen...

\- So, my imagination isn’t only weird, but infectious! Let's go to sleep better.

\- I like your imagination. And generally, this is a wonderful human quality! It changes life, moves humanity forward to new challenges, no matter how strange new ideas may seem. – Cas’ face was shining with enthusiasm.

\- Сas, I like your philosophy, but humanity needs sleep! It's almost midnight, - Jay got up, caressingly touched his cheek and bent down, gently kissing the corner of his mouth. - Are you with me?

Castiel hurriedly got up and put his arms around the hunter’s strong waist.

\- Of course! Unless... I won’t disturb you.

Instead of answering, she silently took his hand and led him into the bedroom. They climbed under a soft blanket, settling themselves comfortably, and Jay, leaning over Cas, turned off the lamp in an old-fashioned fringed lampshade on the nightstand. Suddenly remembering something, Cas got up and walked into the bathroom in the dark. After a few seconds, he returned with his blade, carefully laying it on the floor under the edge of the bed.

\- Just in case, - he explained in a whisper.

\- A wise decision, - the hunter approved, yawning, and lifted a corner of her pillow, showing her handgun hidden there. - You never know what might happen.

They finally lied down, holding hands and looking at the ceiling. Castiel closed his eyes tiredly and, already falling asleep, he felt Jay cling to his side, putting her hand on his chest. He smiled relaxedly, covered her hand with his, and she leaned her thigh closer to him. Cas felt the already familiar tension of desire beginning to build up in his abdomen, and his sleep gradually receded. Sensing his frequent breathing, Jay opened her eyes in concern.

\- Are you alright, Cas? - she asked, focusing her sleepy eyes.

\- Yes, I just... - Without finishing speaking, Castiel turned to the girl and pressed his hot lips to hers, kissing them with a hardly pent-up passion. Kissing him back, she quickly woke up, wrapping her arms around his neck and clutching her fingers into his dark curls. She threw her thigh over Cas and straddled him, feeling his nudging erection through the fabric of his pajama pants, which caused Cas to fling off his restraint and run his hands under her T-shirt, getting to her delicate breast.Without stopping kissing her lips, he stroked her billowing breast, gripping her hardening nipples with his fingers, making her sigh and moan until she recoiled and pulled off her T-shirt with one quick wave of her hands, appearing in front of him in all the beauty of her nakedness in the bluish light of the moon falling from the window.

\- Well, our sleep is temporarily canceled? - Jay asked, rather stating the obvious, grinning cunningly and slowly moving her hips back and forth. - Your timely purchase was somewhere here... - She reached for the nightstand, opened the top drawer and took out a small red box with condoms.

\- Oh, really, that’s my purchase, - Cas said. – Do we need it now? What is it, by the way?

\- Well, let's just say... people use these if they don’t want to have children at the moment, - Jay pulled out a condom and teared the package slightly with her teeth. - And far as I understand it, we are not planning this.

\- Ah, well... That would probably be inappropriate now, - Cas agreed, watching her manipulations with interest. - Now you’re taking my virginity? - he asked in a serious tone, not at all embarrassed by the straightforwardness of his question. 

\- I hope you do not mind? - Jay smiled, pulling off his pants and freeing his bulking cock, twitching from lust.

\- Of course, I don’t! - Cas answered hastily, fearing that she would change her mind.

She carefully put on a condom and tightly clasped his cock, stroking and feeling it becoming harder. Cas winced at the increasing pleasure, like from pain. Although such a strong desire was really painful, and he began to move his hips forward towards her hand, seeking relief in her audacious petting. Jay sat down on top of him again, spreading her legs wide, and, directing his throbbing cock into herself, slowly descended, taking it inside. Castiel groaned at the sensation of the amazingly wet heat that enveloped his cock and raised a wave of pleasure that spread hotly throughout his body. Jay started to move, biting her lip, sighing sweetly with each movement and gradually accelerating. She was melting into the bliss, throwing her head back, bending in her the waist and putting her breast under his passionate touch. He pulled her closer, kissing her open lips ardently, and turned over, placing himself between her legs.

\- Oh, Cas... - she moaned, clinging tenaciously to his taut buttocks, wanting him to go deeper. He began to move, speeding up the pace, penetrating her harder with every thrust. Her moans grew louder, becoming like crying, which brought him closer to the peak when she arched, slammed her nails into his back, and fell into sweet spasms. Her body seemed to have been run through by hundreds of electrical impulses, she caught her breath couldn’t even moan, gasping for air, forgetting herself in ecstasy and leading Castiel along with her. He groaned, unable to resist, tensing up with his whole body, breaking the rhythm, and fell into the delightful abyss of an orgasm, convulsively piercing her with gradually fading beats. Exhausted, he laid his head on Jay's shoulder, and she pressed her cheek against his sweaty face, stroking his wet hair.

Having recovered their breath a little, they separated carefully and laid down wearily side by side, looking at each other with tenderness. 

\- Cas, are you okay? - asked the girl quietly. 

\- More than ever before... - Cas muttered with a happy smile, fighting the urge to close his eyes. - I'm just... shocked. It was stunning...

\- Yes, it was gorgeous! You are so ... Hey, Cas! Wait, don’t to fall asleep! Now you have to go to the bathroom and take this thing off you! - Jay reluctantly rattled up Castiel, who almost had dropped off, and led him in the said direction. 

 

... She could not understand what exactly woke her. Waking up, she felt the familiar sense of alert that had developed over the years during which she was a hunter. Maybe some strange sound came from the courtyard, or a glint of light outside the window ... It was hard to understand being a bit groggy, but the sleepiness completely disappeared, and Jay chose to trust her instinct just in case. As they say, better safe than sorry ...

Castiel was enjoying his sweet sleep beside her, breathing quietly, and she decided not to wake him in vain, until it was clear what was the matter. Carefully taking the gun from under her pillow, she got out of the bed, put on the shirt she found on the floor next to her, tiptoed up to the window and looked outside. 

Examining the surroundings, she suddenly heard a rustling from the side of the courtyard and slowly went to the back door, trying not to creak the floorboards and freeing the safe catch of the gun on her way. Quietly unlocking the door and gently pushing it with her foot, she pressed her back against the door frame and, lifting the gun, stood in the doorway, cautiously viewing the space of the courtyard, lit by an almost full moon. Not noticing anything suspicious, she took two steps forward and looked around again, listening to the silence of the night. After standing there for two minutes and not finding anything, the hunter turned around to go back into the house. But when she saw pack of cigarettes and a lighter on a bench by the wall, which she left there earlier, she decided to stay and have a smoke, since she went outside in general. Having lit the cigarette, she took it in her left hand, still holding the gun at the ready in her right one. The wall of the house was protecting her from behind, and she continued to scan the space in front of her and on the sides with a hunter’s gaze. A big cat came out of the bushes on the left side of the courtyard with a quiet rustle, its color was difficult to determine in the moonlight. The cat vigorously shook off and walked towards the neighboring house proudly. Jay grinned and, with some relief, took a couple more drags. 

Exhaling, she suddenly felt a cold sharp blade touch her neck. The thought instantly flashed through her mind about how she might not have noticed the enemy, because all the free space around was in her seeing coverage. A quiet, featureless male voice behind her pronounced:

\- Why do you people love your bad habits so much?” - With his second hand, he squeamishly took her unfinished cigarette and, throwing it away, grabbed the girl by the hair, pulling her head back. - I could rid you from yours if you asked me nicely. Or in exchange for something I need. You just put your gun down, it can make a lot of noise.

The hunter twitched, and the blade slammed deeper into her neck. A warm stream of blood rushed down, soaking into the neckline of the shirt. She opened her hand, and the gun fell on the grass with a dull thud. The man immediately threw it aside with his foot.

\- Who are you and what do you want? - she asked, not really hoping for an answer.

\- I am the one who’s asking questions here. - The man moved closer, and she detected a faint smell of ozone and a pharmacy coming from him. - And I need the one who is in this house now.

\- Hey, are you a sanitary inspector? Ronnie the rat is tame and harmless to people, I won’t give it to you! – retorted Jay, smirking, and got another cut on her neck for that.

\- Your stupid jokes won't help you. I need the angel Castiel, and I know that he is in this house. And I’ll be cutting you until you call him.

\- I don't know who ... - Jay started, and the blade slashed deeper. The hunter hissed through her clenched teeth. - Why don’t you come inside and look for him, you moron, since you are sure he’s there? No guts, huh?

The door creaked open. Cas in pajama pants stood in the doorway, bare chested and holding his blade in his hand.

\- Let her go, and I will come with you, - he said in a quiet voice.

\- Cas, don’t even think about going out! - the girl cried out, and the third cut lay down next to the two ones which were already there. – Ow, screw you!

\- I see you two got along pretty well, - said the uninvited guest coldly. - Well, that's for the best. Come with me, Castiel, and I won’t touch her again. And you may expect a fair trial after we find out how you managed to do what you did. Although you know how it will end. Better leave the blade.

Everything happened in a couple of seconds. Cas dropped the blade to the floor obediently and met the hunter’s eyes, barely noticeably pulling the door towards himself and looking somewhere down. Having guessed to follow his gaze, she noticed drops of blood in the piece of the floor that had just opened to her sight. She blinked, letting Cas know she was ready for what he was up to. Grabbing the stranger’s hand abdruptly and moving it away from her neck, the girl crouched down and at the same time, not even looking, randomly poked back with his own blade, which, as she felt, pierced the flesh and hit the bone. At that moment, Cas hit the surface of the door from the inside with the palm of his hand, with which he was holding the door handle.

Behind Jay’s back there was a shrilling, growing rumble, and the stranger turned into a column of dazzling light. She heard Cas trying to shout down incessant noise:

\- Here, Jay! Get away from him!

She rushed forward, falling to the ground and shielding herself from the brightest flash with her hands. When the blazing light went out, there was only a small spot of pressed grass in the place where the stranger stood. However, the girl was temporarily blinded and could not see that when Castiel helped her up and, hugging her shoulders gently, led her into the house, picking up the gun and locking the door with the angel banishing sigil on the inside behind him.

\- Jay, are you okay? - he asked anxiously, setting the girl on the bed and holding her hands in his, not noticing his cut left palm bleeding onto her knee.

\- I ... well ... yes, I’m fine. I already can see ... well, almost. A little ringing in my ears ... It’s okay, it will end soon. Your former co-worker turned out to be a good stun grenade! - she joked, smiling, feeling that Cas was embarrassed by what had happened.

\- Jay, I'm sorry. Sorry that you were endangered because of me ... - he started.

\- No, Cas, it's alright. Facing dangers is my job, you know. It was me who should’ve figured out that something was wrong before he put a blade to my throat. By the way ... - she realized that she was holding that very blade in her hand. - I think I have a trophy now!

She laid the weapon down on the bed next to her. Small dark spots were still flickering before her eyes, but her vision almost recovered.

\- It's okay, Cas. You and I just carried out a small butsuccessful military operation, and if it weren’t for you ... Well, in general, we are great. - She turned his left hand palm up. - What an unlucky hand you hav!? You slashed it so heartily, now we need to sew it up. 

Cas was sitting in the bathroom on the washing machine while Jay was suturing his wound. In between, she wondered:

\- It’s interesting… Where did the sigil bring him, since Heaven is closed for inventory now?”

\- I don’t know, Jay, - Cas replied, trying not to wince as a thin, curved needle pierced his skin. - But you injureded him with an angel blade. It’s hard to recover after that, especially since he was thrown into the middle of nowhere. Perhaps this angel is no longer alive.

\- Let's hope so, - Jay said, finishing the seventh stitch and cutting the excess thread. - But, if he’s still alive, even if he personally can’t harm us in the nearest future, he can easily hand us over to other angels, if he hasn’t done that already. So we need to get out of here as soon as possible.

\- That's true, - Castiel agreed with a sigh. - Too bad you ... we have to leave this house.

\- Oh, just forget it. - The hunter waved her hand with a skein of gauze in it and began to bind up Cas’ hand. - I'm used to it. It even somehow start to feel uneasy when I stay at the same place for a long time. So it's time to go. Well, isn’t the bandage too tight?

\- No, it’s very comfortable. Thank you, Jay. - With that, he kissed her fingers gratefully. - You're hurt too. Let me help you.

He took the gauze and antiseptic and began to erase the blood from her neck, treating the cuts with care. Jay didn’t mind, though she could do it herself. She was pleased with his care, and he did it well. When he finished, he looked into the first-aid kit, not knowing what to do next, and she took out and gave him a band-aid and another skein of gauze. The patch turned out to be quite good, especially for a beginner, so Jay complimented Cas' work, causing his embarrassed smile.

It was early morning, or more exatly, 3 a. m. They didn’t sleep properly, but Jay insisted that they should leave. They dressed, and she quickly packed their things in a spacious travelling bag. She also pulled a heavy wooden box from under the bed.

\- This is my emergence arsenal. The basic one remained in the car, I'll pick it up later, - she explained, picking up one of the floorboards and taking out a smaller box with spare IDs.

\- And how shall we travel? Your car is being repaired ... - Cas pondered out, taking the large box. 

\- Well, try to guess, - Jay winked, lacing her boots.

\- What, we’ll steal someone's car?

\- Dammit, right guess! - she said ironically. - Oh, by the way, please take what we can eat along the way, from the kitchen. I'll be right back. 

She really came back a few minutes later on an unremarkable gray Ford. They quickly loaded their belongings in the trunk, and Jay drove the car west.

\- Are we going somewhere exactly or just away from here? - Cas asked when they left the town.  
\- There’s s place in Oregon, - the hunter said, unsuccessfully holding back a yawn. – We’re going there, as a rough guide. We’ll have to buck along for awhile, but it’s such a wilderness there that the devil himself will not find us.

The sky in the east was brightening. Plowing the fog creeping on the highway, the gray Ford briskly ran away from the town.


End file.
